I live in central Ohio and would like to plant one large &quot;perfect&quot; shade tree on the west side of my house to be planted in clay soil, full sun in the center of 120 sq ft area. There are no wires however there is a a newly paved driveway. Perfect to me is:

Call your city arborist. He/she will probably have good recommendations to meet your criteria. Most cities like to see tree diversity as well. Ask a real nursery what will do well where you are as well. Your library may have guides too. At the risk of generalizing, fast growing trees tend to have aggressive and potentially invasive roots. You can help by deep watering and forcing the roots to grow deeper.

When I lived in Cincinnati I remember some nasty ice storms I have never encountered elsewhere. I assume the same happen where you are.

chrisn

09-29-2012 05:27 PM

what he ^ said:thumbsup:

If you really want a big tree, get ready to spend a good chunk of change

cleveman

09-29-2012 08:24 PM

I don't know about the clay.

Right off the bat, I would recommend a littleleaf linden. A white ash doesn't have very large leaves. I recently planted a black alder. Prunus Serotina won't have very large leaves.

shadytrake

10-06-2012 12:26 PM

Hi Lynn,

I'm a fan of native trees. Here is a link to a native tree nursery for Ohio. You might use this as a jumping off point in your decision.

Like others have said, fast growing shade trees tend to have invasive root structures. You don't want a tree pushing up your nice driveway so you will want a deep root tree (slower growing). Be prepared to amend your soil. Even though natives are hardier, when you plop a new tree in the hole, best to give it a good start by prepping the soil.

Remember the 5 Ps.

Proper preparation prevents poor performance.

One of my favorites from your region is the Liriodendron tulipifera (not chinense). It is a beautiful tree with an awesome canopy and has flowers that look like large yellowish tulips.